Poppies
I would like to be a poppy
with its perky and perseverant approach to life.
It patiently waits, its petals folded,
until it receives its call from the sun
to open its heart to the world,
unafraid and undefended.
It is undeterred by poor growing conditions:
unfussy about its nutrients,
it thrives on the available,
pokes out through small cracks in walls of stone,
and blooms outrageously
when soil and sun are plentiful.
It has no fancy fluted blossoms,
but its color is a pure and powerful gold
that shines as a testament
to value beyond embellishment.